Hoyer Statement on President Obama's Visit to Maryland to Discuss Raising the Minimum Wage

Hoyer Statement on President Obama's Visit to Maryland to Discuss Raising the Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement on President Obama's visit to Lanham, Maryland this morning to discuss raising the minimum wage, which was one of the issues raised in his State of the Union address:

“I am glad that the President chose to hold his first public event after the State of the Union address in Maryland to highlight local businesses committed to hiring American workers and paying them fair wages. Last night, the President spoke about the need to take action to increase economic opportunities for all Americans, and a key part of that is ensuring workers are paid a wage that allows them to achieve a secure place in the middle class. That’s why House Democrats will continue to push for an increase in the minimum wage to ensure that no one who works full time is living in poverty.

“At the same time, we will also continue to call for the renewal of emergency unemployment insurance to help those still struggling to find work. And we will keep pressing for consideration of our Make It In America plan, which is about expanding access to economic opportunities by growing domestic manufacturing, educating and training a skilled workforce to compete for the jobs of the future, and creating an environment that encourages businesses to create jobs here that pay well. I look forward to working with President Obama to advance the goals he outlined last night in his speech for the benefit of working families in Maryland and across our country.”